Waukesha Daily Freeman from Waukesha, Wisconsin • Page 8

Court Defines Scope of Press Privilege fpHERE WAS MIXED reaction last week Wisconsin Supreme Court decision in the case of Kaleidoscope Editor Mark Knops, Madison, who was jailed for refusing to divulge sources of information he claimed he had, dealing with the August 24 bombing of Sterling Hall on the U.W. campus. The Justices found that the circumstances of this case we think the right to know (where the information came from in possession) outweighs the right of The court was obviously confronted with a perplexing issue which could not be decided with a simple or answer, and so it hedged a bit and we must agree it was right. The court was faced, on the one hand, with interest of free flow of to use its words, and on the other interest of fair and effective administration of the judicial There was reason to believe the information In Knops' possession could lead to the apprehension and conviction of the person or persons who committed a major criminal offense resulting in the death of an Innocent person. He chose, however, not to reveal his source of information even under threat of serving a jail sentence.

What the court is saying is that careful weighing by Knops of his responsibility to the public welfare would have prompted him to decide that solution of the crime was for him a more important contribution, under the circumstances, than shielding his informants from questioning or actual implication in the crime. We fully agree that Knops, young and inexperienced in newspaper operation and management as he is, should have seen where the preponderance of his moral responsibility lay. That he chose not to cooperate with law enforcement officials in this instance made him vulnerable to just criticism and a charge of obstructing justice. Out of this decision has come a safeguard which publicists have not had spelled out for them before. In the course of the decision it stated: conclude that the appellant (Knopa) hai a constitutional right to the privilege not to disclose his sources of information received in confidential relationship.

However, when such confidence is in conflict with the public's overriding right to know, It must yield to the Interest of justice." Fair enough. Responsible editors and newsmen everywhere should be able to live with that rule. The Freeman has always honored requests to keep the sources of information confidential when such requests are made and when there is good reason for it. Similarly, we have on occasion resisted attempts by those who would oblige us to divulge such information. We have resisted believing there was no conflict with the overriding need to know.

Should an occasion arise when, in the judgment of the publisher, revealing otherwise confidential sources is clearly in the public interest, this newspaper and any other would be remiss in the obligation it has to be on the side of honor and justice to stand on the point of privilege. Up and Down Broadway Rolls-Royce Collapse Shakes British rpHE UNITED STATES has experienced the shock of Penn financial collapse; now Britain trembles from the impact of receivership for Rolls-Royce its oldest and most honored combine. Nothing quite like it has shattered the pride of Britons since the loss of empire. It is being viewed as a in the words of Labor leader Vic who called it disaster that I think can be allowed to happen; the government must do something about this. There are so many jobs at stake and so much prestige all over the world depends on the future of It makes dramatic news when industrial giants like these fall but vast changes in the corporate world have been going on for years and are not expected to end in the foreseeable future.

The view that "government muat do aomethlng about this" will only hasten the introduction of full-blown "welfare capitalism." A public dole, it is hoped, will keep Penn Central from falling completely apart. The U.S. Congress snapped to attention In December and appropriated $125 million as a first installment to keep the line running. More will have to be forthcoming to satisfy mounting obligations of this giant which lost $252 million in the first 10 months of 1970. Ironically, the collapse of Rolls-Royce will undoubtedly have an adverse effect on another U.S.

corporation in deep financial Aircraft Corp. The 91st Congress doled out $200 million to it as part of a financial rescue operation that may eventually cost many times that much. Rolls-Royce is the prime engine supplier of jumbo tri-jet. Lockheed claims it has firm orders for 178 of its new wide-bellied Tri-Star air buses, each of which would use three Rolls-Royce engines. But so far Lockheed has received only 10 or 12 such power plants and will receive no more from the British manufacturer because, it claims, it is losing $246,000 on each engine it delivers.

The U.S. government, of course, is being asked to make more big grants available to prevent additional Lockheed ployes from losing their jobs. But financial disaster of this inter-locking situation may be more than even the U.S. government can afford, along with its other mounting commitments. The Nixon Administration is already committed to deficit spending of amazing proportions through 1972 and the unease of its foreign creditors is of no small concern in charting future outlays.

The nervousness shown by some members of Congress over this worsening financial condition within the private sector is well understood. The question is how many private industries, forced to the wall by demands on their resources, will the taxpayers be able to support before their patience and resources run out? If a so-called moderate recession can get big companies in financial hot water so fast, how solid is the economy anyway? £Mlor, lj please sign letters with name and address Both will oe withheld from publication upon request. Sniffs Vilification in Carrier Editorial To the Freeman: It is inconceivable that the editor of our local public opinion-forming newspaper could write the editorial, Discriminates Against without looking for evidence of the allegations Senator Murphy used as his reason for being against the proposed legislation. Certainly the evidence is difficult to come by because the state many years ago sought protection of our young girls against rape and molestation; therefore the opportunity for such tragic results are very far and few between. On the other hand, a search in the archives of the Waukesha Freeman of the early thirties would have revealed that a young 11 or 12-year-old girl substitute Waukesha Freeman newscarrier was indeed invited into the house on the pretext of receiving payment for the paper and when inside was attacked and raped.

It appears that the reason for the article was not really in defense of equal rights of girls, but rather another slam at State Senator Murphy in the continuing, running dogfight to vilify him. Your former nine-ycar-old newsboy. G. Lee, W255-N527 Grandview Blvd. Waukesha Note: The writer may have information of a 40-year-old incident we know nothing of.

Nonetheless, we see no greater danger to girls, 12-18, carrying newspapers than to girls soliciting door-to-door selling cookies, candy and funds for various charities, etc. This is a common practice in Waukesha and elsewhere something not touched upon by the State Legislative Committee. Feeling Lousy, Cold, Getting Numb? A Health Department informer (informant would be a better word, but not quite accurate) tells us the recent warming spell has ioosed Mallophaga frigus upon the land. Mallophaga also used to be known as lowysn, but back in time, and hardly anyone talks like that anymore, in Middle English. English has become real lowdown.

Anyway, back to Mallophaga frigus. It is the fancy name for ice lice. Ice lice breed during the first freeze, mature around Christmas time, and, not being stupid, just lousy, move around much during extremely cold weather. But since ice is the natural habitat of Ice lice, they are happy with cold weather. The ice lasts longer, they live longer.

The danger comes during the times of moderating temperatures. Knowing they are not long for this world as the ice disappears, they become sullen and dangerous and given to unprovoked attacks. Still another danger comes in their appearance. Often they look just like snow crystals and come in swarms. Rarely are lice attacks fatal.

Usually there is just a gradual numbing effect. Ice lice disappear almost always by mid-April, always by July 4. The informer says the best protection against them is to stay inside until the fireworks start, or when you hear a carnival calliope. safe then. Who Do You Believe? Groundhogs are great little animals and whatever would we do without them Feb.

Be less confused, what. We all know the furry creatures in Sun Prairie and Milwaukee disagreed on how much longer we will have to endure this already-unendurable winter. But we ask you? What business did the Sun Prairie prognosticator have getting up at the horrendous hour of 7:10 Tuesday, when all self-respecting citizens (save reporters who work for afternoon daily newspapers and a few others who need their heads examined, too) are still abed or just barely arising? Therefore, we refuse to accept the Sun Prairie verdict and instead agree with the Milwaukee faction, who at the reasonable hour of 11 or so found winter would be over shortly. (We really believe him either, especially when we see what it looks and feels and acts like outside.) One amusing sidelight on animal shenanigans: an associate came up with this brilliant conclusion. If he sees his shadow, have six more weeks of winter.

If not, have only another month and a half. Now what we call excellent prognostication. Yesteryears Feb. 8, 1951 Think snow shoveling was a futile job this winter? The city street department and the county highway department have their troubles, too, as a result of all the snow and cold weather. Each day they send out crews of men to repair the holes in the road.

By the end of the day, the holes are there again, bouncing the cars around and causing drivers to use the kind of language that helps the situation. winter for you. Cleaning up all the damage it has done will take until June or July long after stashed that snow shovel in the basement. 'WFlAT POSITION! MAVtYOU 5EENI ORDERED TO DEFEND.TODAY imiiinMBiwimiiiiiiffliiiiiiiHiiiiniiiiiiiiiiHiinMii'MM'iiiiiiwiiiiiiiimRHiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiM Editors Waif Please sign letters with name and address. Both will be withheld from publication upon request.

H.A.W.S. Officer Slaps Shelter Critic To the Freeman: On Saturday, Jan. 30, there appeared on these pages a most senseless and blatantly inaccurate letter denouncing the sanitary conditions ait the animal shelter on Northview Road which is operated by the Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County (H.A.W^S.) The general health and physical desirability of the animals offered for adoption was also questioned. Such allegations tend to cast a discrediting reflection upon the many dedicated people connected with the H.A.W.S. organization.

This type of anonymous defamation by suggestion is too much for me to allow to go unanswered. I know these unsupportable statements are not true because I am an officer and director of the non-profit corporation that has operated the shelter for now nearly two years. Much of my personal exposure has been to the business operations of the shelter rather than the actual day-today mechanics of processing, housing and arranging for the adaption of unwanted, lo9t, strayed or abandoned animals. However, I have been privileged to come into contact with perhaps the finest and most sincere group of people in Waukesha County. Our current president, Mrs.

Joseph Schoeninger, is a director of the Wisconsin Humane Society and is nationally renowned for her untiring in the humane field. Our rosier of current and past directors and officers contains some of the most prominent and highly respected names in the area: A. J. Schallock, founder and first president; Gordon Priedeman; Fred Dudley of Oconomowoc; Mr. Mrs.

A1 Treen of the Waukesha Kennel Club; Robert Rasseikus; Dr. Howard Cook: Mrs. Paul Downey: Atty. Ross Langill; Mr. Mrs.

William Trapp of the Wisconsin Arabian Horse Association to name but a few. Anyone even casually familiar with the fine veterinarians of Waukesha County, the officers and directors of llllllllitlllllllllllilltltiltllllll'iiilllHllllllilllilllllHiniillllimillltllltHtllliitlt'iiiiiiiillltlllitMtlliilHi f-U 'pinion boy friend wants to marry me as soon as finished paying your NEED SNOWMOBILE REGULATION (Capital Times, Madison) If that state does not enact some safety guidelines for operation of snowmobiles, these blatting monsters are going to run up a death toll that will shock the state. Hardly a week goes by that the snowmobiles do not claim a victim. A Madison man, Gerald Lease, suffered a severely crushed leg while witnessing a Middleton snowmobile race last weekend and will be hospitalized for months. Apparently there has been no police report of the incident or no effort made to obtain the name of the snowmobile operator, who crushed Lease against a pickup truck after losing control of his vehicle.

It is a tragic irony that a former police chief of Middleton was killed outright in a snowmobile mishap in Northern Wisconsin last year. Visitors to Devils Lake last immMmiHiHifflimmHmmMMiiiiiMiiiimtHttNiimiiiNMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHHimiHia Received Card From Paul VI TORONTO ijfl Christina Cardoni recently received a certificate from Pope Paul VI to mark her 100th birthday. Mrs. Cardoni, a great-grandmother, immigrated to Canada from Italy when she was 84. She is believed the oldest member of Italian community.

She credits daily doses of brandy and whisky for her longevity. weekend were met by a noisy Baraboo snowmobile club with memebrs furiously careening around the park on roaring machines. An estimated 150 snow- mobilers made a shambles out of the traditional deep winter silence. Children who appeared to be less than ten years old were operating snowmobiles with younger children riding with them. Not a park officer or deputy sheriff seemed to be around.

That is why we need regulations. H.A.W.S., and with Mrs. Jane Knox, our dedicated and astute shelter manager, knows that these people would not tolerate nor be affiliated with an organization that allowed the gruesome conditions alleged in that anonymous letter to exist. Since its inception nearly six years ago, the H.A.W.S. group has actively sought and has received the unselfish guidance and counsel of the Waukesha County Veterinary Medical Association.

There is a permanent seat on the H.A.W.S. board for a delegate from the group. A veterinarian is on the premises at least once a week administering to the housed animals, making inspections and supervising the general operation of the shelter. The shelter staff, under this professional direction, takes continuous measures to insure stringent sanitary conditions utilizing highly sophisticated cleaning and sanitizing equipment. Anonymity, groundless allegations and similar disgusting nonsense are the natural actions of those who find criticism and jealous belittlement an easy substitute for the years of hard work and dedication that have gone into making the H.A.W.S.

shelter on Northview Road the fine institution that it is today. On behalf of the officer, staff, volunteer workers and the 1300-plus contributors and members of the H.A.W.S. family, I enthusiastically invite all who might be interested to make an inspection tour of the shelter for it is indeed a humane facility in which residents of Waukesha County can and should be justifiably proud. Haberman, Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County, Inc. hii mi mimi i HltltHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIItlllllllllllinillllllllllllllNIIIIII in euiew NINETY YEARS AGO 1881 Last week Friday many of our citizens went to Milwaukee to see the big that was on exhibition there and they saw it, and smelled of it, and came home satisfied, we suppose.

A whale is a big thing there is no mistake about it and twenty-five cents is not a very large price to pay for getting a view of one. Everyone in Milwaukee must feel this way about it too for the ticket agents were rushed ten hours a day taking in quarters. FORTY-FIVE YEARS AGO 1926 After sixteen years of study and experimentation during which she used 50,0000 mice. Professor Maud Slye, of the University of Chicago is vinced that cancer is herec tary, and that it is not a ger disease. The disease is contagious, her experimen show.

TEN YEARS AGO 1961 The bleak Waukesha county employment picture is not expected to get any better this month or next, the state employment service office here reported today. The unemployment was becau manufacturing layoffs, sonal job curtailments slower replacement workers who left jobs..